Iranian Government Spokesman: Use of Foreign Messaging Apps is Citizens' Right

Mohammad Baqer Nobakht, the spokesman for Hassan Rouhani's government, said on Tuesday during his weekly press conference, "The government considers the use of foreign messaging apps to be the right of citizens within the framework of the Charter of Citizens' Rights." He reminded that having domestic messaging apps alongside foreign ones is not a problem for the government, and "the government believes in the freedom of access to information in this space, although laws must also be observed." According to the spokesman, "it was necessary for there to be competition between domestic and foreign applications and for the government to take supportive steps to strengthen domestic messaging apps." He also emphasized that the government's position on filtering is clear, without providing further details. In recent weeks, discussions about halting the activities of the Telegram messaging app in Iran have intensified, and on Wednesday, April 29, the activity of the Telegram channel of the Islamic Republic Leader's office entered a new phase. The website of Ayatollah Khamenei's office stated in a brief statement that the reason for this action was "support for domestic messaging apps" and "removing the monopoly in cyberspace," noting that this action "takes place before the official program of state institutions to stop using Telegram begins." On the same day, Es'haq Jahangiri, the first vice president of Hassan Rouhani, and several other officials, agencies, and government organizations also stopped their activities on the Telegram messaging network. Observers interpreted these actions as a serious indication of the filtering of Telegram and the government's agreement to implement this decision, but Hassan Rouhani, the President of Iran, emphasized two days earlier in a meeting with senior government managers that "the monopoly of foreign messaging apps is not correct," while stating, "but the lives of people should not be disrupted." The government does not welcome the continuation of house arrest. Another question raised during the weekly press conference was about the lifting of house arrest for Mir Hossein Mousavi, Zahra Rahnavard, and Mehdi Karroubi. Nobakht responded, "Certainly, the government does not welcome the situation where they are under house arrest, especially when we need cohesion and coming together." He stated, "The government supports the demand for lifting the house arrest and will not spare any effort in this regard." He added, "I wish society knew the positions and efforts of the President in this regard, but in any case, we hope that reaching the lifting of house arrest, during which we will witness the presence of the children of the revolution in society, will be close." The government and Hassan Rouhani are under pressure from critics who believe that he has been negligent in lifting the house arrest of the detainees, which was one of his electoral slogans and promises. Mohammad Khatami, the former President of Iran, had asked Rouhani ten days ago to "act" and fulfill his promise regarding the lifting of house arrest. Subsequently, several members of the Islamic Consultative Assembly criticized Rouhani for his delay in this matter. Reports have also emerged that among the heads of the three branches, only Rouhani has not given an appointment to the committee pursuing the lifting of house arrest in the parliament for months. Fatemeh Karroubi, the wife of Mehdi Karroubi, one of the leaders of the 2009 protests and a detainee, also criticized Rouhani on the last day of Farvardin, saying that he has not secured the rights of the detainees "contrary to his oath." Mir Hossein Mousavi, his wife Zahra Rahnavard, and Mehdi Karroubi have been under house arrest since Bahman 1388 (February 2009) following street protests against the controversial results of the June elections, without a trial, and this house arrest has continued for seven years. The government spokesman also responded to a question about the status of "Kaveh Madani," the resigned deputy of the Environmental Protection Organization and dual-national managers, stating, "For this issue, the Ministry of Intelligence has been seeking to identify these individuals so that replacements can be made, and we have not had any other dual-national managers." According to Nobakht, "the Ministry of Intelligence is still obliged to pursue this issue, and the government's policy is not to use dual-national managers." He also mentioned that he has no information regarding Kaveh Madani's dual nationality and will inquire about it from the Ministry of Intelligence. Kaveh Madani, the former deputy of the Environmental Protection Organization, was invited to collaborate with the Iranian Environmental Protection Organization during Rouhani's second term. However, after pressures from some security and intelligence agencies and the publication of images of him at parties and private gatherings abroad, he was forced to cut his collaboration with the Environmental Protection Organization and return to London. In response to those who interpreted his resignation and departure from Iran as "escape" and "flight," Madani tweeted, "I was myself, but I was not one of them." Mohammad Baqer Nobakht, the government spokesman, on Tuesday referred to part of the existing resources in Iran as "human resources," stating that the government's perspective is to utilize all capable individuals. Nobakht described the publication of private photos and images of individuals and, as he put it, "damaging individuals' reputations" as an "unethical" act.